Past Musings

What it’s like to be a parent: It’s one of the hardest things you’ll ever do but in exchange it teaches you the meaning of unconditional love.

Nicholas Sparks

The End of the First Adventure

Several weeks ago, I sat with family to watch my oldest cross the stage to receive his high school diploma. Awash in emotion we witnessed his achievemnt being handed to him by administration. He beamed at us from the stage for that brief moment in time and then it was over. There was certain finality to the idea he reached graduation.The notion I amassed enough birthdays to have an adult child was incredulous to me, but there I was just another graying middle aged parent seeing his progeny move into the next stage of life.

The Beginning

What it takes to get to this point may lead one to drink without a strong resolve. Parenting is the most important and probably the most frightening undertaking any human being can ever be a part of. It comes with no instruction booklet. There is no neat little cellophane bag attached to the toe of that new human being. A little person whom will look to you and your co-parent, if you lucky enough to have one, to provide all it needs in life. You sit there in wonderment and confusion as to what to do with this fleshy thing which is now your responsibility. It doesn’t matter if you are 25 or 45 having your first child. You don’t quite know exactly what to do. Yes, you will know to feed it, change diapers, and pick the little bundle up when they cry, but I am not speaking of the rudiments of parenting. I am referencing the deep emotional bricks you need to build a successful human being.

Love:The Cheapest Commodity

Love is the best gift any parent can give their child. It’s free. It doesn’t cost a person one thin dime to offer love to a child. However, some children don’t receive that basic foundation. An unloved child left to their own vices in a cruel world can find it hard to be successful. When adults make the choice to intermingle and create a life, the individuals involved have to be ready to give all the love they have to a child. A child is born a blank slate. Outside of the standard operating equipment and reflexes you are the sole provider of nourishment, love, and protection. It’s a massive responsibility. You hope you’re good enough to lead another human being and can avoid life altering mistakes. However, mistakes are all part of the undertaking called parenting. It’s how we deal with missteps that are the true test.